Episode 75 for the week of April 22th, in which we review the fourth episode in the second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. We create the name “Middlefinger” and Mimi tries to watch the last two scenes of Garden of Bones live for the first time, while the boys provide a narrative backdrop.

Note: No actual tables or sweatpants were harmed during the production of this podcast. R’hllor interfered with the audio quality.

Perfect storm of technical difficulties: Hotel microphone and internet connection, my new microphone was still being shipped, and we had to use a backup base recorded file that had lower audio quality than usual.

Good episode, but Mimi seemed a little off. She usually talks a bit more and her audio sounded a little bad. At first I thought she was just really drunk or something, but once she came back from the Shadow Baby stuff she sounded fine.

Speaking of Shadow Baby, I really liked the live reaction to it. If you’re looking for new content to put up on the Youtube page, it might be fun to watch a camera pointed at your for an entire episode and then edited down to 10 or 15 min to show some of the best stuff.

Good podcast, though the Ros hating got a little much after a while. Albeit the Ros/Joffery scene was a tad long, it served the purpose of emphasizing that Joffery is quite beyond the notion of mercy which made Tyrion threatening to reveal Lancels relationship with Cersei have an edge to it. As an aside, Lancel could easily pass as a Maggie Grace impersonator. The likeness is uncanny.

I’m wondering with the fact that they’ve kept the new mountain helmeted and in the Lannisters troop armour, whether he’s acting as a stand in until the original actor is freed up from his commitments with filming the Hobbit. Loved Harrenhal, and looking forward to seeing Arya play off Tywin in the coming episodes. I guess it’s fair to say that we aren’t likely to get Vargo Hoat, but in many ways I don’t see that as a major loss, though it will require some reworking of the Harrenhal storyline as the show progresses.

Was kind of surprised they bothered with the whole finger bones story. Upto now they’ve not mentioned it or shown Davos ungloved, and I’m unsure whether it would of made much sense to non readers to shove it in, or the Onion knight comment. Still the shadow baby scene was fantastic and chilling. As regards the comment about the bars, my guess is that Davos having been a smuggler was familiar with the coastline and the cave was a route he knew from before that was a good way to get ashore unseen.

My suspicion is that they’ll concoct a way to damage his hand rather than lop it off. From a production viewpoint missing limbs are pretty much a nightmare, especially if you’re filming on location as they will be. Your options are either dodgy looking prosthetics, or costly CGI masking. Having his fingers crushed or some such, is a much easier route to go down. I’d rather they take liberties with the story in that respect and have the money for other scenes tbh.

I couldn’t agree more. In fact, the only reason I came to the comment section was to make that point.

I love this podcast, but all the Ros hate is starting to wear me down. You guys are getting obsessed with her to the detriment of your podcast. We get it, you hate the character. I don’t like her either, but it seems like she gets FAR more time on your podcast than she does on the show.

Maybe you guys can start a weekly “We Hate Ros” podcast as a side project, and you can vent all your redundant frustration out there, and stop watering down the otherwise excellent quality of this podcast? Or maybe just rename the podcast it to “A Podcast of Ice and Fire and Ros.”

I agree with you Mike about the Ros hate, she was not the focus of that scene. But I did like that Amin acknowledged that the argument that she takes away screentime from other characters is dubious at best and that he would just prefer to see a shorter episode rather than the extended cut of that scene.

Hey everyone. Yeah, I think we went overboard with the Ros hate this episode: I know I was the worst culprit and at times we sounded like a broken record. Actually, I expected us to get burned far more than the constructive criticism we’ve gotten so far.

I think we needed an episode to get it out all there, in particular since much of our fanbase feels the same way. This was that episode. But rest assured, we don’t plan to do the same thing every episode. Though we may keep some Ros jokes, we’ll probably move Ros related rants to the aftershow section as you suggested, where people who wish to hear it can keep listening past the end music.

As a long time loyal listener (believe it or not, my first episode was Tyrion the Catcher Part 2) I have sat through many Night Outs, Circles of Spite, and Circles of Jerk; and while I don’t always agree with the hosts, I have loved that the podcast can take a half hour diversion in the middle of a discussion to talk about if Raticate can learn Hyperbeam.

With a growing fanbase and emphasis on the show, you guys might certainly feel a pressure to, or actually evolve towards being a “mainstream” podcast, but as Augustine pointed out, there are already enough of those out there.

I guess I’m just chiming in to say, you guys are great, and part of what makes it great is the unique flavor of the show, shocking lack of knowledge and all. So keep hatin’ and keep spitin’.

Do you think the writer for this episode copied other ideas from movies or books previously? The rat torture from 1984 and the Ros scene reminded me of american psycho with the hookers and coat hanger :S

Arya was in the same position as Sansa. She ran away and escaped through the sewer.

Yeah. They’ve ruined Sandor and Littlefinger. Every week they fuck up Petyr a little more. Are there no fucking secrets in Westeros? And why the hell is he at Storms end before Renly dies? And why does Renly hate him?

Havent had a chance to listen to it yet, but I feel obligated to point out that Middlefinger have posted up to several comments on episodes earlier. I have even posted in the shoutbox a few times. How dare you not know that? Shocking lack of knowlege!

Hmm that is true, searching back in the comments here your first post was in December? Was your name inspired similarly, and if so how did you come up with the name before season 2? – I didn’t mind him in season 1, although the seeds of the change were there, I guess.

I try to give credit when I talk about something I’ve seen on the forums or elsewhere but I honestly didn’t remember seeing your name or comments. Your name either went into my subconscious or you were thinking on the same brain wave as the podcast. — Amin

The name was certainly inspirered by Littlefingers “middle finger”. I dont really remember how or when but I dont think a lot thought went into it. Probably just a random thought I found I found funny at the time, and possibly still do.

This episode clearly paved the way for the creation of “middlefinger” so I I’ll totally by that you came up with it without my help On the other hand I do think about the podcast a lot… Mabe some cross atlantic brain wave interference happened ;P

What’s with you guys bashing HBO and those who watches HBO outside of GoT? You guys make it like HBO audience can’t keep up with the show various complex characters, but before GOT, there was The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood and Treme. I think it’s more to do with the show runners, David Benioff and Dan Weiss not giving their audience more credit. From reading interviews, it’s D&D’s decision to give Ros a bigger role than just an exposition machine. I doubt it’s because the HBO executives poking them with sticks to push sex into the show. As much as I love GoT, it still has to get close to the quality and complexity of The Wire and this is coming from a big sci-fi and fantasy nerd. Hell, the first 14 episodes of the GoT have more nudity and sex scenes than the entire 5 seasons of The Wire combine.

Regarding Littlefinger or should it be Middlefinger, LOL, do you guys think it’s the fault of the writers changing the character or the actor because from what I heard from other people that the he can’t deliver as LF or is it both? In my opinion, it’s more because of the writers. I have seen Aiden Gillen on The Wire and how great he can act. The writers changed the character from the books that it’s not LF, I mean would he spill out the secrets he knows to various people like that? That’s not the LF I know in the books.

yeah, i don’t think it’s on the actor at all. i think the writers just wanted to go in a different direction with LF. aiden gillen absolutely looks the part, and his work on the wire gives testament to his acting abilities.

didn’t even knowtice that, mainly because i was trying to figure out which guy was supposed to be the mountain in the group, as he just looked like a skinny guy standing on higher ground. but seriously, a bannerman can’t afford his own armour? what is he, a foot soldier?

Did you guys see Jayne Westerling’s little saw used to amputate the wounded soldier’s leg? I found that hilarious – in a world full of battleaxes and longswords and blades of all sizes, she chooses to slowly and painfully saw through the guy’s bone…

A bit more nitpicking: The scene where Clegane’s guy is spiking the severed head after the torture – I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to *hammer a head onto a spike*, unless the head is made of wood or something. If you smash a hammer on top of a severed head, it should crack open.

Couldn’t they have him just push the head onto the spike? The hammering just felt silly.

Reply to “Episode 75: Garden of Bones”

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You are listening to A Podcast of Ice and Fire, the award-winning, longest-running podcast dedicated to the epic glory of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga. And sometimes Pokemon.

We are the Brotherhood Without Manners, the heirs to House Manwoody of Kingsgrave, Dorne, and your audible source for everything in the world of A Song Of Ice and Fire, as well as HBO's Game of Thrones series. Our podcast is a ridiculous, fun amalgamation of series news, theories, discussion, opinions, and lowbrow humor. Listen in, and join the cult.

Warning: Episodes contain spoilers for all published ASOIAF books, explicit content on par with the series content, and constant references to creaking doors.

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